Rawalpindi remains N’s stronghold = PP-6 seat won

PP-6 seat won

RAWALPINDI - PML-N on Thursday managed to retain PP-6 seat as its candidate Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal thrashed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi by bagging 30,065 votes. Wasiq could get only 21,168 votes. Former MNA and Federal Minister on Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan vacated the seat after winning it in general elections 2013 as an independent candidate with election symbol cow. Nisar won two National Assembly and Provincial Assembly seats each, opted to be an MNA from NA-52 constituency. He won the PP-6 seat of Provincial Assembly as an independent candidate bagging 51826 votes after the party decided to leave the field “open” over infighting over nomination.According to unofficial results, the PML-N candidate won the seat. In PP-6, 155 polling stations had been established while 21 of them have been declared sensitive. As many as 233,735 voters were registered in this constituency.On the other hand, by-elections 2013 to one Provincial Assembly seat PP-6 Rawalpindi-VI did not motivate the voters much going by their low turnout, damping the hopes of three out of 10 candidates, who run their electioneering in every nook and corner of their constituency with full enthusiasm.These candidates included PML-N’s Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal (election symbol Tiger), PTI Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi (Bat) and PPP Ammar Mehdi Raja (Arrow).The others, who were in by-elections run, were Zahid Hussain Qureshi (Giraffe), Asad Abbasi (bottle), Amin Shahid Gill (Stag), Amir Hussain (Ostrich), Farooq Nazir (Water Pitcher), Haji Zafar Iqbal (Goat) and Muhammad Adrees Awan (Tub). Polling for PP-6 seat began at 8 am and continued till 5 pm in the evening amid tight security arrangements made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) deploying Army troops outside and inside the polling stations besides heavy contingents of police, who maintained law and order situation very well at all the polling stations.Acting City Police Officer (CPO) and DPO Jhelum Afzal alongwith Station House Officer (SHO) Police Station (PS) Saddar Berooni, Khan Sadaqat Khan, CSO and other police high-ups also visited various polling stations to review security arrangements. Similarly, Secretary ECP Ishtiaq Ahmed also paid visit to Morgah polling station and reviewed election process. According to this scribe in almost all the polling stations, the turnout was poor, particularly in Dhamial Mohra Barian, Jorian, Kalyal, Ashraf Colony, Quaid-i-Azam Colony, Dhama Syedan, Morgah, Company Stop and Ali Town. Voting was comparatively high in Jarahi, Gulshanabad, Rehmatabad and Bahria Town Phase 8.Around 10 per cent polling was recorded till 3pm in all the polling stations and showed an increase after 3pm.The polling agents, deputed by their candidates, also reported low numbers of voters what they termed having not public holiday, non-provision of transport by their parties to pick and drop the voters and scorching heat. The polling remained peaceful in all the polling stations except Morgah Polling Station Number 70 and 71 where a clash occurred between the two polling agents Muhammad Bashir and Faizi, both from Morgah over getting unconfirmed results first from the Presiding Officer. Both exchanged harsh words. The counting of votes has been stopped by polling staff. On request of PO, police intervened and pushed the both polling agents out from the counting room. The voters also expressed their deep anger over the political parties for not providing them transport on the eve of by-polls. All the teachers and professors assigned for the by-polls duties performed very well. Outside all the polling stations, the jubilant workers of PML-N danced on beats of drums and greeted each other for a comprehensive win of their candidate Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal. Some of them also took out car and motorcycle rallies carrying the portraits of their candidate and party flags.